there are 3 (maybe 4) places that have regular cash games here in my hometown. one hosted by a friend that I've done quite a bit, but had pretty bad luck there last couple times, and they have BigO bombpots like 3-4 times per orbit that I hate so I haven't been back in a couple months. the other place hosted by another friend, games are usually more wild and I really have never had very good results. last time I played there was probably October?
I think the player pool in town is like 40 that play cash regularly among the 3-4 games. there are a few terrible players but most are very competent, very loose and very aggressive.

I'm playing in a game tonight, the one place I last did in October. I'm going to make a concerted effort to play well, take notes, and see if I can patiently turn out a profit for the first time in a while.
figured this is my post and probably the most unobtrusive place to document it. maybe just as a journal entry shared with my anonymous poker friends. we'll see how it goes

Good luck

You're lucky, there are zero games here that I know of. I only play when I go to Vegas.

There are some games a few hours from here, but I don't really want to drive all that way, play, and then drive back. In Vegas I can play several days in a row and just have to go up to my room. Could I do that in the rooms in "my area"? Sure, but it would cost more than going to Vegas.

well, someone is lucky. I'm probably $3000 down last 3 years in these local games

If they are truly good games, it's not lost. It's only on deposit.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind losing a little if I could keep in practice. I end up losing it anyway in Vegas the first few days as I try to remember how to play.

I showed up at 8:00 and joined a 10-handed $1/2 game. I knew all the players.
1 - 50m, straightforward player
2 - 60m, good tourney reg
3 - OMC who rarely loses
4 - 50m, cash and tourney crusher, can be reckless
5 - 60m, straightforward and fishy
6 - 60f, 5's partner, TAG, not scary
7 - 30f, she thinks she's a poker pro, aggressive but overfolds
8 - 50m, straightforward
9 - me: 40m, TAG
10 - 50m, crusher. but he was playing a game on his phone so a bit distracted, a lot of intentions were previewed
6A - host: 55f, loose, aggressive and calling station (6 left for a few hours and 6A took her spot when she arrived a little late)
8A - 40m, very loose and very aggressive, can be maniac (8 left early)

I played tight for a while, taking notes of what I saw. early on I folded A2 UTG, would have flipped two pair, but #7 flopped a set of aces and got paid by #4. that was a crisis averted

#10 three-bet my opens twice in a row. on the second, he c-bet the flop and #1 raised and he folded. later, I open in EP again to $7, #10 3-bets me to $26. the next hand I open again to $7 with QTss, and #4 3-bets to $26 and I fold. was I being exploited? possibly. the game had a lot of limping, lot of limp-calling, and a lot of 3-betting big.

there were a couple hands I may have misplayed. #4 opens to $10, a bunch of calls, including me in BB with AJ.
flop AJ5, checks, #5 bets 15, I call.
turn is 2 and a second spade, I bet 35 and #5 folds.
another hand I accidentally limp in CO with KQ. it limps around.
Q-high flop, I bet flop, another Q on turn, I bet and they fold. probably got the minimum there

I got AJ twice in a row.
- T972J #4 had 88 for straight
- T high flop, Q gives me combo draw, brick, fold to #10
- next hand AK, Q high flop, I bet turn, #7 folds and I take it
- lost QQ to straight on T high board (#4 with 88).
Those four hands (I won one) dropped me to -$140. I added on 100.

#2 bluffed me off second pair. he opened pre, bet flop with air, checked the turn, and bet 50 on a river 4. with 7-4.

I open with JJ, 3 callers
987ssc I bet 20, #2 calls, #4 raise 80
I jam for 130, he calls. #10 says what, you are way behind. QQxx, #4 mucks. I'm unstuck! I've been thinking/planning about doing a 4-bet shove this week and this was the first logical time, although my stack was short.

here's a fun one:
Open 15, call, I raise to $60 with QQ, #1 jams for $75, 6A sigh calls, I call.
J99J. flop checks, she bets $50 on the turn.
River is 6. she bets $100.
(I beat AK AQ AT KQ TT...)
I call, she shows AJ. her check flop got me. ouch.

10 went home (good), 8A joined at 11:30 to my right. pretty maniac player. then his first hand he opens EP to $25 (12.5bb), then on ace high flop bets $150. I think he flashed AK so it wasn't completely crazy...)

Limp limp I raise to 11 with AQ, several calls.
runout went like 8448J, I paid #7 off with 86o

raise call I raise BB with AKss to $61, #4 calls. flop is 7796cddd. I bet big, he reads me like a book and shoves me off.

I get QQ, board goes AJKK

there was an interesting hand when I thought I was in big blind and put out a red chip and the dealer announced "straddle." I think this was my first career voluntary straddle and I think I calmy made it known it was not intentional. after a raise I called with A9. flop came AJ9. I made a little bet, #4 and 8A called, I made a turn bet and they folded.

I lost a hand with 77 when a third spade the river and 8A called my bluff bet with a crappy flush.

8A did double up my shortstack a couple times when I shoved a pair and held.

6A (host) won a huge pot on a draw heavy board with turned two pair, they bricked river for about $1600 pot and knocked out #4 and #8A. 4 had been on tilt for like an hour.

now five handed, couple hands later, I have AK shortstacked, flop comes KQJ, 6A has AT to take my last $120. I'm out and game ends.

10 left early up a few hundred
7 left early up 1-2 hundred
1 I couldn't see but left early probably down a couple hundred
6 ended down a few hundred
2 ended up several hundred
6A ended up probably +$1800. happy birthday.
4 8A and I (-$400) all busted.

I played five hours and really tried my best. had pretty good read on all my opponents. of course, they had pretty good reads on me too. I limped the lowest frequency of the table. I did bluff quite a bit but never with junk. but I won very few showdowns. I had QQ three times and went 0-3, got AJ and AQ a bunch and never won, got a lot of low-mid pocket pairs and never got a set. anytime I had a good hand the flop was awful.

I can't win these games. the other players are way too loose and aggressive and deep. I try to be tight and 3-bet my good hands but they get called and the flop is always awful. a tiny bit of luck like a set or made straight or flush would likely have flipped the outcome, but in for $400 was my biggest risk and is a tough loss for me to take. looks like I am retiring from these home cash games and instead saving up my play for Vegas.

just a general comment on your sizings. In live 1/2, especially in a splashy game, you may want to up your raise sizes more than you would think. In a splashy 1/2 game, I'm probably RFI'ing $15-20 depending on how many limps there are ahead of me. Keep playing and putting in hours!

Agreed! At my local casino's 1-2 game, my usual raise size is $10 if I'm the first to enter the pot, $12 if there's one limper, $15 with two limpers, $18 with three, and $20-25 if there are four and/or I'm in a blind.

it doesn't matter what the raise is if there are always 2-3 callers and I never can hit.

yeah I got a few c-bet folds to scoop

I have a ton of live games around me -- almost every night. And the competition is terrible. It's awesome. (And I live in BFE.)

I definitely agree with sizing up. I rarely raise pre for less than $12 if I'm first in -- usually it's $15.

Sorry for the run-bad, but you'll come back.

I usually do, this time I wanted to try keeping my bets and raises around the same amount to keep balanced.

Nobody I play with knows what balance means. LOL. I'm sorry you face such tough competition.

From your TRs and posts, I kind of think you live in an area where "balance" means "beer instead of whiskey, tonight,", Mrs. Newt.

More like Chardonnay, amirite?

so I am coming back the end of May (Memorial Day week)...
and my sister's family invited us for the 4th or July. I have Thur-Mon off work and my wife has a zillion travel points so all five of us will go for that holiday weekend too.

two trips in a row!
wife and kiddos don't want me to do any gambling but what can I say, when in Rome...

LOL. Very good point. And, yes, TJ, I am almost always drinking chardonnay

Fantastic! I am envious. Sorry, wife and kiddos -- it's Vegas! (I'm beginning to realize how lucky my husband is. LOL. I encourage him to play poker whenever he can.)